Sunoco cleared to resume pipeline operations
HARRISBURG » Mariner East 1 is back in business.
Following a unanimous Thursday morning Public Utilities Commission vote, Sunoco Pipeline got the green light to restart operations of its Mariner East 1 pipeline.
Operations of the pipeline were suspended through an emergency order by PUC Chair Gladys Brown on March 7 after three sinkholes developed at Lisa Drive in West Whiteland Township.
The 5-0 commission vote was made after a “coordinated and exhaustive extraction of data and thorough analysis” was performed by the PUC, according to an order by the Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement, the PUC safety section.
BIE inspectors visited on-site for 150 hours and spent 110 hours reviewing the site’s geology.
Sunoco was allowed to restart after BIE determined that “continued operation of ME1 is safe and viable.”
The order also states that “the integrity of the ME1 pipeline remains intact.”
The PUC also recognized the “economic effect of ordering the suspension of ME1 service.”
Brown wrote prior to the vote that Sunoco had implemented corrective actions and BIE has reviewed the remedial efforts extensively and is satisfied that the pipeline is safe.
“Because the directives of the emergency order have been met, I will vote to grant Sunoco’s petition,” Brown said.
Brown released the following statement made prior to the vote: “While the specific concerns outlined in the Commission’s Emergency Order have been remedied, there are still legal vehicles for concerned citizens and entities to have their voices heard. The individuals and organizations who attempted to intervene in this proceeding may file their own formal complaint or intervene in an existing complaint which relates to their concerns.”
State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, said the decision to resume operations on the ME1 pipeline further highlights the lack of coordination between state agencies and the need for better pipeline safety standards and protections for residents.
“I fully understand that the PUC functions within its own narrow legal boundaries and regulatory scope,” Dinniman said. “However, my constituents and I still have very strong doubts about the safety of this pipeline project.
“The bottom line is the construction of Mariner East 2 has potentially destabilized the geology of the surrounding area. If the geology is unsafe, then we still have very serious concerns and questions about the safe operation of Mariner East 1.
“It’s as if the PUC is saying, ‘We’re smarter than everyone else and we don’t really care what the public has to say.’”
State Rep. Carolyn Comitta, D-156, said the PUC listened to their own BIE when they recommended shutting down operations and now to restart.
“What surprised me is the PUC held no hearings for those of us who filed petitions to intervene,” Comitta said. “However, as Chairman Brown said, the PUC was focused in this case on the specific concerns surrounding the safe operation of the ME1 pipeline.
“There are many other public health and safety concerns along the ME pipelines.
“Sunoco said today, ‘safety concerns trump economic concerns.’
“We need to make sure that public safety is indeed the number-one consideration in all decisions and actions moving forward. There’s lots more work to be done.”
State Rep. Duane Milne, R-167, asked for no one to become complacent.
“Given today’s decision to restart the pipeline, I am calling on all pertinent state agencies to remain vigilant about monitoring operations along this pipeline,” he said. “All concerned cannot nor should not discount the possibility of negative impacts in the future, and be prepared to act as necessary to protect the public interest.”
Sunoco spokesperson Lisa Dillinger released the following statement Thursday: “We are very happy with today’s decision that allows us to restart our ME1 pipeline. We have worked cooperatively with the PUC’s I&E Division and their outside experts on the matter for several weeks now and we are pleased that their investigations concur with ours regarding the safety and the integrity of the pipeline.
”When ME1 was shut in as a precautionary measure there were no issues with the pipeline, which has been safely operating for decades. Its continued safe operation has now been verified by all parties. The procedures to restart public utility service on the pipeline will begin immediately.”
Sunoco will be required, within 24-hours of the decision to run at least one inline inspection tool through the ME1 pipe. The inspection tool must run from at least one mile upstream and one mile downstream from the Lisa Drive sinkholes.
Food & Water Watch organizer Sam Rubin released the following statement: “The PUC has joined with the other branches of Governor Tom Wolf’s administration in sacrificing the safety of communities living along this pipeline for the profits of Sunoco and Energy Transfer Partners. This is why citizens are taking their safety in their own hands. Governor Wolf should decide to protect these communities by stopping the Mariner East 2 pipeline.”
Later Thursday, Dillinger released another statement: “Mariner East 1 is part of a larger public utility system including the Mariner East 2 and Mariner East 2X pipelines which are currently under construction. Mariner East 2 mainline construction is 98 percent complete and 93 percent of our HDDs are either complete, in-progress or have been released for restart. Mariner East 2 is a critical energy infrastructure project, not only for Pennsylvania’s economy, but for the thousands of people it puts to work every day. The total potential economic impact from all Mariner East construction in Pa. is estimated to be $9.1 billion, supporting approximately 9,500 total jobs each year over six years of construction, with wages of $2.7 billion. These projects provide an economic boost in the 17 counties where they are located and across the entire commonwealth.”